Flying machine



epto 16, 1924. 1,508,520

' J. E. KEMPH FLYING MACHINE Filed May 28. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 16 1924. 1,508,52@ J. E. KEMPH v FLYING momma Filed May 2a. 1923 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 16, 1924. 1,508,520

J. E. KEMPH FLYING MACHINE Filed May 28, 1923 s Sheets-Sheet 5 Sept. is, 1924.

n a 3mm, or wasnmeron, insurer or com FLG n.

Application filed m as, 192:. Serial no, 641,959.

To all whom it may concern:

I Be it known that I, JAMES E. KEMPH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have in- .vented certain new and useful Improvements in Flying Machines, of which the -following is a specification.

This invention has reference to the typeof airplanes known as ornithopters, and its object is to provide a flying machine, which may sustain itself in the air by the reaction of the air upon the flying machine, without the aid of sustaining mechanism, except as hereinafter explained. F The invention, because of its peculiar construction, I call an orniplane;

The object of the invention is to provide a flying machine having a-superior means lateral balance while in fli ht.

for its propulsion through the air, and the invention comprises in itself a construction inherent therein for the maintenance of The invention will be est understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming art of this specification with the understan ing, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing in the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a flying machine comprising the invention. F1Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of horizontal stabilizers 4,, at the rear end thereof, and bin dly connected to the rear end of the 'sta ilizers, are elevators 4', whereby the machine may be re lowered, as desired. 1 g

At the rear, the fuselage is also provided with a vertical stabilizer 7, and hin'gedly occupyin e' 3 is an end view of the flying connected to the rear edge thereof is the usual rudder 5, in the intermediate portion of the body of the fuselage, there is a cock pit 8, in which is located a seat 9 havin a lever for shoulder supports 10, so arranged that the operator may tip the shoulder supports ,to one side or the other, to operate the ailerons and also the propelling wings 11 may be controlled by the operator occupymg the seat 9 to cause movement of the planes or units 12 and 13 to the closed and open position while a steerin arranged within easy reach 0 the operator a position in the seat 9.

The w eel 14.- -is mounted on a shaft 15 carried by a truss frame or primary lever 16 havin connecting links 17, in turn connec to the movable wings 11. Extending along the fuselage are wires 18 and 18" conwheel 14 is i nected to the elevators and rudder 4' and I about the support pin 20. By this means the rear of the planes or units have a natural tendency to gravitate downwardly on their axis away from the higher wings but are urged upwardby the'rising currents of air engaging under the planes or units.

When the flying machine is underridden by the air currents, the propellingiwings 11 are raised to a higherlevel as in cated by the lines 21 and when the propelling wings are no. lon er supported by the rising, air currents t e propelling wings drop .to a lower level, allowing the air currents to flow downwardly .therethrough, by the automatic opening of the planes. 1

' There is provided an upper wing 22 of a lateral extent approaching the spread of the wings or planes of the vehicle and such up er wing has ailerons 23 with horns 24 and operating wires 25 for tilting theailerons as needed.

The operator sits with his feet braced against the rudder control lever and his hands grasping the steerin wheel 14 on the primary lever. The body of the operator is then in a position betweenthe arms" of the lever that control the ailerons. By pressure of either foot on the rudder control lever, the machine is directed to the right or left as desired, in a horizontal plane. By turning the wheel 14 mounted on the primary lever, the flying machine is directed up or down in a vertical plane by the elevators. The right or left movement of the body causes the lever controlling the ailerons to move such ailerons as desired for the purpose of assisting or maintaining lateral balance.

When the operator grasping the wheel 14 moves the same, so that the frame 16 is rocked on its mounting, the wings 11 will be moved on their pivots through the connecting link 17,'so that when the wheel 14 is pulled toward the operator, the wings 11 will be moved on the hinges 19, so that the wings are dropped or lowered with respect to the fuselage, while, when the wheel 14 is pushed away from the operator, for rocking the frame 16, inthe opposite direction, the wings 11 will be raised to an upper position, at an opposite dihedral angle to that assumed in the lower position, in order to efi'ect the flying of the plane, as will be hereinafter described.

Assuming the present invention to be applied'to a form of orni-plane of the well known glider type, they will operate in the following manner, in the use of this type of lane. p In beginning an ascent, the wings are quickly forced to the lower position by the wheel 14 being drawn toward the operator. In this movement, the wings ofier their full under surface as a propelling and lifting force, following which the wings are quickly returned to horizontal position by pushing the wheel 14 forward, and in order that the wings will feather through the air on their return to normal position, the units or planes 12 and 13 open, in order to ofier the least resistance to the forward movement of the machine. This movement of the wings is continued or repeated a few times until sutlicient speed and momentum are obtained to raise the plane from the ground. As the speed of the machine on the ground increases to the point that the air resistance is suflicient to support the same, the operator moves the wheel 14 in a circular motion to the right, causing the elevators to function upward to efl'ect a resistance to the air,

/ which will cause the plane to be immediately raised into the air for beginning the flight. As long asthere are sufiicient upward air currents for supporting the plane, the wmgs "11 are retained in the upper position, in

which they may be adjusted for varying the dihedral angle, in order to ofler a greater or less resistance to the forward movement of the plane, which would effect a correspondingly greater tendency to raise or elevate the plane, when the wings are at a great dihedral angle, while a mere supporting action will be exerted thereby when the planes are in substantially the same plane. In this way, it will thus be seen that strong alr currents may be utilized by the operator in obtaining an ascent of the plane, by increasing the upper dihedral angle of the wings, and when said currents are not Suficiently strong, the dihedral angle may be decreased, or the wings positioned in the same plane, for maintaining a supporting action, but at the same time permitting the free *forward movement, so that suficient speed may be maintained for utilizing a subsequent stronger upper air current, for further use in efiecting an additional ascent ofthe plane. llf,'during the course of flight, a downward air current is encountered, the wings will again be caused to swing on the hinges 19, as in starting, so that the descent of the plane will be reduced to a minimum, while the same is passing land the plane in a shorter distance than,

would otherwise be possible.

From the above description, it will, therefore, be clear that the wings may be utilized in a number of different ways, in connection with a glider as above described, and in a similar manner in connection with any other suitable form of heavier than air planes, for effecting the eflicient maneuvering, and also for providing a balance of the machine When the wings are in the upper position, and arranged at a dihedral angle, it will be further noted that a balancing action will be efl'ected for steadying the flight of the plane What ll claim as new is:

1. In combination, an aeroplane having a fuselage provided with a cock pit for the operator, elevating planes for controllin the ascent or descent of said plane, and means for operating the elevating plane, a pair of wings hingedly mounted on said aeroplane on axes inclined with the line of flight in the same horizontal plane at opposite sides of the aeroplane, said axes diverging rearwardly, each of said wings having a plurality of units hingedly connected thereto, at right angles to the line of flight and limited in their movement by the wings, a lever pivotally mounted in the cockpit of said aeroplane, and connectionsbetween said amaaae lever and said wings for efiecting a movement of the wings in the movement of the lever to position the win in coo ration in one position for efiectmg a be ancing, supporting and elevating action on the aeroplane, and into a non-supporting relation in another position.

2. In combination, an aeroplane having a fuselage provided with a cockpit for the operator, elevating planes for controlling the ascent or descent of said lane, a lever pivotally mounted in the coc pit of said plane, a steering wheel rotatably mounted on said lever, operating connections between the elevating planes and the steering wheel for operating said planes in the rotation of the steering wheel in either direction, wings movably mounted on said aeroplane, and connections between said lever and said win for effecting a movement of the wings in t e movement of the lever, to wsition the wings into cooperation in one position for eliecting a balancing, supporting and elevating action on the aeroplane, and into a nonsupporting relation in anotherposition.

3. In combination, an aero lane having a fuselage structure formed with a cock pit and projecting frames at opposite sides thereof terminating in outwar y and rearwardly divergin end portions, a lever pivotally mounted in the cock pit, a steering tions between sai lever and said wings for effecting a movement of the wings on a hinged connection in a roch'ng movement of the lever adapted to move said win into cooperative relation above the horizontal plane of the bin ed connection, for efiecting an elevating, ba ancing, and supporting action, in connection with said aeroplane, said lever being operable to move said wings below the lane of said hinge connections whereby t ey will have a non-supporting action on said planes.

In testimony whereof I aflix my si ature.

JAWS E. m H. 

